


Replica of Emotion

by Azureli



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Angst, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Multi, Spoilers, post-kh3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-06
Packaged: 2019-10-21 13:30:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17643734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Azureli/pseuds/Azureli
Summary: Despite beating all of the odds Roxas can't help but think of the potential cost which brought him back, while his friends do the best they can to be there.





	1. CHAPTER I

It felt more than strange to be staring into the familiar sunset from the tower in the station square, a sight Roxas was sure he had forsaken forever when rejoining with Sora. 

He cast his eyes down looking to his hands, extending and retracting his fingers purposefully. Despite his physical replica form, what his former allies in the Organization deemed as no more than a puppet, everything felt natural, normal even. The thought twisted his stomach into knots, only serving to further feed the cycle of sensation and emotion swelling inside of him. What cost brought him here, did separating himself from Sora along with Ventus factor into his disappearance? Was he just another burden on his somebody and his allies all over again? 

And what of his two closest allies, of Axel and Xion? He had no words that could describe his anguish at forgetting such a trusted friend for so long, the memory of her very name slipping away as she faded away in his arms. The same could be said for Axel, who fought so hard at great personal cost to do nothing but earn his way back into the heart and memory of his friend only to be met with unfeeling ignorance and defiance.

Why was he here? Why was everyone acting like he was such a great person for just his intervention at the Keyblade Graveyard? Why did nobody recognize the terrible things he'd done to the hearts of the people he was meant to care most for?

 

"Roxas?"

 

Roxas flinched as his concentration was shattered, his eyes darting up to the source of the voice.

 

"Are you... alright? You've been here since everyone else went their separate ways."

 

As Roxas' eyes met with Xion's, her concern became clear as day. He forced a smile out of himself to cover his thoughtful and weary facade, raising a hand to the back of his head.

 

"Thanks for checking up on me, Xion, I guess I just, ah, have a lot on my mind."

 

She smiled weakly, brushing a strand of hair from her eyes in the gentle breeze caressing the clock tower. A moment of quiet passed between the two of them, Roxas' gaze wanderering back off into the sunset. Xion broke the silence.

 

"You should get some rest too, ok? We all have a lot of recovery to catch up with."

 

Xion placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a short, but comforting squeeze before continuing.

 

"We all have a lot more than just physical healing to be getting on with. I'll see you at home, Roxas."

 

She released her grip on the boy before her, turning back towards the path down from the tower. She glanced back towards him as she reached the corner of the structure, her expression turning even more somber as he remained on the ledge, lost in thought.

Xion waited below the tower watching over Roxas as the sun continued to set, filling her time with people watching in the square. Weariness overtook her a few times and lured her into unguarded lapses of sleep. She awakened a short while later to the sensation of someone gently rousing her from slumber with a shake of her shoulder. 

 

Roxas' tired eyes were the first sight she registered, but even through the fatigue he championed a familiar and characteristic smile, one that she knew all too well but still drew a comfort from.

 

"C'mon, let's get you home too. I can't be responsible for you catching a cold or something, I'll never hear the end of it from Axel and Olette..."

 

Roxas extended his hand to Xion as he laughed uncertainly, not sure how accurate he was for expecting a never-ending earful from Axel, she let out a soft giggle as she accepted it and rose to her feet.

 

"Thanks, Roxas."

 

The two of them departed from the station square and made their way home in silence, each enjoying the company of the other. Despite all of Roxas' musings and conflicts, he found himself to sleep as soon as his head touched his pillow.

 

* * *

 

"They were out until when last night?"

 

Axel paused the playback on the tape in his VHS as he leaned backwards over the couch to make try and make eye contact with Isa, who was sat quietly at the kitchen table reading a newspaper with his morning coffee.

 

"Oh please, Lea, they aren't defenseless children." Isa cocked an eyebrow, not even breaking his gaze on his reading to dignify Axel with a response. "They're fully capable of making their own adult decisions. More so than you I'd expect." Axel rolled his eyes in response.

 

"Well, ha ha, laugh it up funny guy, I'm perfectly capable of making my own mature life choices." Axel flopped his head forwards again to face the TV once more, pressing play on his VHS of recorded Saturday morning cartoons he'd been basically watching on loop for the past four days. Isa shot him a glance with a deep frown, unsure if the irony of the situation had even dawned on his old friend.

What Isa could not see from his position was the crestfallen look on Axel's face. He sighed and closed his eyes in thought. Roxas had been more and more distant lately. They'd all heard nothing from Riku, the King or Master Yen Sid about Sora's whereabouts, and the silence seemed to weigh heavily on Roxas. Xion was doing her best to keep him well supported and looked after but it was a lot to ask of someone who'd been through comparable stress and heartache. She had insisted to Axel that she was fine with supporting Roxas, but the idea still didn't sit right with him. He wanted nothing more than to return to the days that they had all spent together, the memory of them clearer than ever now that Xion had been returned to them. Well except plus Isa this time of course, Axel mused, he needed to show his oldest friend his appreciation after all.

 

Axel's trail of thought was broken by the sound of the door to the apartment opening, Isa ready to make his way outside. 

 

"Hey, and where do you think you're going so early on a weekend without inviting me?"

 

Axel did his best to look offended, to which Isa attempted to respond with a completely deadpan expression, before cracking a slight smile at the sight of his friend's over-dramatic acting.

 

"I believe I already explained that I was meeting with Ienzo today in Radiant Garden to discuss his continued research into the activities of the Organization now that they have officially come to an end. The King has kindly offered me passage there. Don't wait up." 

 

Isa immediately began his purposeful march out of the door, Axel shooting up from his seat.

 

"What? I don't remember that at all, why exactly am I not invited?"

 

"Because."

 

Isa turned to pull the door closed behind him, his face bearing his usual serious and commanding guise but with a notable hint of something more. Concern maybe? Axel couldn't be sure.

 

"You have something far more important to tend to here than research, do you not, Lea?"

 

The door closed softly, the sound of the key scratching in the lock was the last sign of Isa's presence before the only sounds in the apartment were the stock laser and sword clashing sound effects and cheesy dialogue from his cartoons.

 

"If we all believe in the power of his heart, then he can pull through any injury!"

 

Axel reached out for the remote and hit pause again. If believing were all it took then Roxas would be as fit as a fiddle already, he had the whole team watching his back, he needed something more and Axel couldn't think of what it could be. The hopelessness of the situation twisted his heart and quickened his breathing. He'd already lost his friend once, he didn't think he could ever face that turmoil again. He turned his head toward Roxas' bedroom door and sighed. How was he of all people going to get his friend back to his usual self?


	2. CHAPTER II

 

About an hour had passed since Isa had left when the door to Xion's room swung open, Axel shot a glance over his shoulder to see Xion stood in the doorway, mid-yawn, as she staggered out in search of something for breakfast.

 

Axel grinned devilishly, looking back to his TV shows before Xion had time to register his presence.

 

"Well, well, isn't it a little late in the day to be rising and shining?" He gestured fancifully with his hands, not even looking back to the rather unkempt looking black haired girl who was trying to dig the milk out of the fridge. 

 

Xion's expression did not budge an inch as she turned and stared daggers into the back of the couch, to where she assumed Axel's head would be. Axel had quickly come to realize that both Xion and Roxas were terrible morning people, especially when they'd been out until completely unreasonable times the evening before, and found no end to the pleasures of exuding his regular levels of enthusiasm to keep them on their toes.

 

Xion poured herself a bowl of cereal and plopped down on the couch, cross-legged, at the opposite end to Axel. 

 

Axel shook a finger toward her, tutting and pouting as he did so. "Hey don't slouch while you're eating your breakfast, it's bad for digestion."

 

Xion met his gaze and slowly allowed herself to sink further into the couch cushions, never breaking eye contact.

 

Axel rolled his eyes, "I guess my humor is lost on you guys at this time of the morning, huh?"

 

Xion's stoic expression cracked a little as the corner of her mouth settled into a grin. "Well I'd say that something actually has to be funny in order to class as humor, right?"

 

He rolled his eyes, pretty much rolling his entire head in the process from the energy in his movements, with his gaze settling back on his cartoons while Xion began her breakfast, shifting back up in her seat before doing so.

 

* * *

 

Eventually, once the clock had stuck a reasonable near-afternoon hour, Roxas' door swung open. Axel had to hand it to him, his hair was a little on the drooping side but he was far more put together than Xion had been only a little while before. In actuality Roxas was already fully dressed, pulling at his shirt and adjusting it as he met the gazes of his friends and housemates.

 

"Hey, good morning." Roxas smiled and raised a hand in greeting to the two of them, as he quickly moved over to the kitchen and fumbled with the milk trying to pour it into a bowl. Axel and Xion shared a quick glance, Xion giving a slight shrug.

 

"You in a rush there, Roxas? What's gotten you so antsy?" Axel chirped up as Roxas dropped his spoon on the floor a second time instead of placing it solidly on the counter. He quickly began shoveling his breakfast into his mouth when all was finally settled, turning to face Axel, who grimaced at the slightly unflattering angle of Roxas stuffing his face with food.

 

"I'm 'ate to 'eet 'ayner, 'ence an' Ole'"

 

Xion pouted and turned back toward Axel, "Hey I get the lecture for slouching in the couch with food but Roxas gets to suffocate himself and nothing, what gives? You're the worst mom." Axel didn't dare dignify that insubordination with an answer, instead turning his attention back to Roxas.

 

"Roxas, you gotta chew when you eat, c'mon surely I don't have to ask you if you've got that memorized?" 

 

Roxas made an almost pained expression, forcing himself to swallow the mass of wet cereal in his mouth, before dumping his bowl in the sink and rushing over to get his shoes.

 

"I said I'm late to meet Hayner, Pence and Olette, we were meant to meet by the bistro in the Tram Common in like 5 minutes." Roxas hurled the information at his friends as he rushed past, Xion raised an eyebrow as he planted himself in front of the door, fumbling with the laces he'd accidentally knotted too much the previous day.

 

"Relax, those guys won't mind," Axel waved dismissively, settling back into the couch, "Hayner's not exactly the greatest timekeeper in the world either so the payback wouldn't hurt."

 

Xion nodded in agreement, "It seems like Olette's the only person any good at timekeeping to be fair, even I can't stick well to that stuff."

 

Roxas finally managed to pull his shoes on in frustration, ignoring the laces and just tucking them in to avoid the undue stress, it was not what he needed when he was already behind schedule. He felt a strange pressure when he thought of Hayner, Pence and Olette. They were his only truly, "normal", friends, some kids who loved goofing off and grandstanding for fun in their time off. It brought him comfort to know that he was part of their little community, and that they'd welcomed Axel, Xion and Isa after everything they'd witnessed on Sora's appearances in the town.

 

Roxas felt a twinge of anxiety in his chest taking root once again. " _Damn it, not now, not today_." He screwed his eyes shut and rubbed his face, slapping his cheeks softly. " _Get it together, Roxas_."Axel narrowed his eyes at the sight as he peered around the doorway from his seated position.  He rocked back up onto his feet, stretching towards the ceiling before fishing his apartment keys from his pocket. "Ok, I'm off, I'll see you guys later."

 

"See you!" Xion and Axel both chimed in as the door swung slowly closed, Roxas' thudding footsteps reverberating down the hall as he ran to make up the lost time.

 

Xion's face fell as he was out of earshot, her gaze lowering.

 

"You're still worried about him then?" Axel asked, trying to meet her gaze.

 

Xion sighed. "It's been hard. I think, because of... where I'm from, I like to think what Sora would do or feel at a time like this. He's the best example of compassion and friendship any of us have ever had right?"

 

Axel's felt his heart twinge as Xion looked back up into his eyes, a feeling that was not entirely alien any more but still one that caught him off guard more than he'd like to admit.

 

"... But I'm not Sora, Axel. I really don't know what I can do for him."

 

Xion looked lost, on the verge of tears, and Axel shared her pain. Roxas was clearly upset about something, something was clearly eating away at him that no one had been able to drill down. Axel tried his best to smile.

 

"Thanks for looking out for him, but I think it's time you took a break for your own good."

 

Xion moved to protest, but Axel held up his hand weakly.

 

"No good'll come of you running yourself ragged for him all on your own, and besides, it's the three of us that are best friends right? We've all got to look out for each other, got it memorized?"

 

Xion closed the gap between them in only a fraction of a second, leaning in to Axel and locking him into a hug. He could feel her holding back sobs as he closed his arms around her back too.

 

"If anyone can help Roxas, it's us. The three of us, we're inseparable."

 

Axel almost wished he had his teardrop markings back under his eyes. Isa was right. He hadn't outgrown them at all.

**Author's Note:**

> Some practice writing after KH3 feels.  
> The Twilight Town gang are precious and must be protected.
> 
> I imagine that I'll continue this for a bit more practise in time.


End file.
